Mail box



April 16, 1,929. A. E, BLAcKMAN 1,709,560

MAlL BOX Filed June 5, 1927 Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED s 'm'lrsl ALBERT EDGAR BLACKMVAN, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

MAIL BOX.

Application filed .Tune 3, 1927. Serial No. 196,254.

This invention relates to a mail-box having a series of individual compartments with two means of access. One means of' access, an upper door which extends over all the compartments at once, isfor the use of the post-man in depositing the mail, the other means, a separate lower door foreach compartment, is for the individual to whom the compartment has been assigned. There is one lock for-the upper door, while each lower door has its special lock.

An object of my invention is the simplification of the construction of the various parts of the box to facilitate their manufacture and their assembling. There is no panel strip, as is common in mail-box construction, between the master door and the individual or tenant doors. may also be arranged to have no panel strips between them. The frame for my box is yformed of individual strips which can be set on the box around the doors after they have been assembled on pivot rods. My side strips hold the pivot rods with their doors in place upon the box. Mail-boxes having rectangular frames formed of one piece reqnire careful fitting of the doors in 3 the frame, whereas a frame formed of individual'strips can be set around the doors to fit them.

A further object of this invention is the construction and mounting of the partitions.

This partition construction is useful in boxes, not necessarily inail-boxes, which are divided into a plurality of compartments open at the front. Welding is reduced to a minimum. Channel shaped partitions are used in my preferred form having one leg longer than the other. The front end yof the longer leg is formed with a bead adapted to be placed in position inholes in the box body. The frame strips are then fastenedl to the box-body against the front of the beads, holding thereby the .partitions in place. A special brace, supported by one of the door pivot rods, is provided for the front ends of alternate partitions. Where a partition has a portion of its front bead omitted because of the lock on the postmans door, this brace is especially useful. My-

preferred form of lbrace is also useful for `bracing the pivot rod of the `tenant doors' to al partition wall.

The tenant doors` Vnoted generally by the numeral 17.

not claimed form the sub-ject of my copending application, Serial No. 168,632, -Iiled February 16, 1927.

Other objects andl advantages will become apparent from a further study of the de- ,scription'and drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevationof my box, Fig. 2 is al section 'taken along the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken along the line 2)*3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a fragmental sectional plan to Van enlarged scale showing one form of brace at the front bead of a partition, Fig. 5 is a -fragmental sectional elevation at the front perspective view of the lower' flange of the box-body showing the hole for the end of the bead, Fig. 7 is a fragmental sectional plan showing a modified form of brace at the 'front bead of a partition, Fig. 8 is a fragmental sectional elevation at the front bead of a partition with a brace of the type shown in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a fragmental 'sectional elevation showing my preferred form of `brace at the front bead of a partition having a rod therethrough, and Fig. 10 is a fragmental sectional plan at the lfront bead of a partition with a brace of the type shown in Fig. 9.

The box body proper is formed of back 11, top 12, bottoniv 13 and sidewalls 14. Top and bottom 12 and 13 are formed with front flanges 15, while sidewalls 14 are provided with front flanges. or laterally extending portions 16. .The `boxis dividedinto compartments by channel shaped. partitions de- The longer leg 18, of eachV channel shaped partition 17, forms the partition wall between adjacent compartments. The web 19 of each channel shaped partition 17 sets against. y

the back 11 of the boxand is preferably not fastenedthereto. The short leg 20 of each vpartition 17 restsagainst the long leg 18f'of -its adjacent partition, excepting the extreme right leg 20 which sets. against sidewall 14. The short legs 20 also are pref` erably Anot fastened againstftheir neighboring members. The'front end of each long leg 18 is looped around on itself to form a beadf21. Top and bottom flanges 15 are provided with openings 22 (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) in which beads 21 rest. It is to be noted n that bead 21 is longer than the flat portion Y of leg 18, enabling said flat portion to fit in between top and bottom 12 and 13 while bead 21 projects beyond into engagement with a hole 22 at the top and a corresponding hole 22 at thev bottom. The lower edge ot' bead 21 rests upon edge 23 ofl hole 22 at the bottom, (Figs. 1 and 6) while the upper edge of said bead comes against a corresponding edge 23 at the top. The front end, of bead 21, when saidvbead is set in holes 22, comes flush with the front face of flanges 15. l/Vhen upper and lower strips 24 of the front frame are fastened in position upon flanges by welding or other -fastening means, beads 21 are held firmly in position in holes 22, thereby maintaining channelr shaped partitions 17 in position in the box.

The master or postmans door 25 is pivotally mounted upon rod 27, while tenant doors 26 are pivotally mounted upon rod 28. Rods 27 and 28 extend beyond the sides of the doors so as to come in front of side strips 29 upon which they are supported by means of bearing or socket pieces 30.

Socket pieces 30 are fastened to the front ofsi de pieces 29. It is immaterial whether the doors rotate on rods 27 and 28 or whether they grip said rods and the rods rotate in the socket Vpieces 30.

In assembling the box, the partitions are placed in position in the box with beads 21 inV holes .Doors 25 and 26 with their pivot rods 27 and 28 are then laid upon flanges 15 and16. Strips 24 and 297 composing the front frame,` lare then placed about the edges of the doors, strips 29 coming under the pivot rods and socket pieces 3() coming over the ends of the pivot rods and strips 24 against the front of beads 21. Strips 24 and 29 are finally fastened to ianges 15 and 16, preferably by welding.

In order to brace rod 28 and the front end of some of the partitions 17, for a mail-box especially one having four or more compartments, a. brace 31 (Figs. t and 5) is used. Brace 31 is mounted onrod 28 by means of its sleeve 32. The mail-box illustrated is shown with four compartments, in which case, the central partition is provided with a brace 31. In Fig. 1, the sleeve 32 of a brace 31 is shown coming in front of the central bead 21. The upper end of central bead 21 is cut ofl` to allow for the master lock 33 of the postmans door 25. Brace 31 is especially useful, where bead 21 is cut oft, to supply thesupport that ordinarily would be i furnished said bead in an upper hole' 22. In boxes having more than four compartments, it is desirable to brace every lother partition. Sleeve 32 is provided with a projecting fin 33, said fin being slotted to receive long leg 18 and' beadv21 of'part-ition 17. Fin is slipped over the partition before it is set in the box. In order to prevent fin 33 from turning downward', a teat 34 is punched in long leg 18.

A modified form of brace is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Here the fin 33a is shown in the form of' a hook which is adapted to engage a hole 35 in long leg 18. My preferred form of brace is shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Inv this case a rod 36 is inserted in bead 21, a slot 37 being provided in long leg 18 and bead 21 into which fin ,33b is set. In assembling, fin 33b is set in slot 37 and rod '36 is then pushed through bead 21 through a hole in said fin'. The length of the red needs only'to be from the bottom of bead 21 up past slot 37 i 1. A box ofthe character described comprising a box body open at the `front having its top' and bottom walls provided respectively with an upwardly and a downwardly projecting flange, aV plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into a' plurality of compartments, the front portions of said walls projecting beyond the upper and lower edges of the rest of said walls into engagement with the front of the top and bottom walls of the box and their flanges, and means extending over the front of said projecting portions and said flanges. at the top and bottom of the box, for retaining said partition .walls in place. l

2. A box of the character described comprising a box body open at the front, a flange extending upwardly from the front end of the top wall of said' box and another flange extending downwardly from' the 'front end of the bottom wall of said box, a plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into a plurality of compartments, the front portions of said partition walls being provided at the top and bottom with projections extending respectively above and below the upper and lower edges of said partition walls, said projections entering holes provided partly in the forward ends of the top and bottom walls, and partly in their respective flanges and means for retaining said projections in the holes.

3. A box'of the character described com'-A prising a box body open at the front, a flange extending upwardly from the front end of the top wall of said box, 'and another flange extending downwardly from' the front end of the bottom wall. of' said box, a plurality of partition walls for dividing said tion walls and entering holes provided' partly in the forward ends of the topand bottom walls. and partly in their respective flanges, the forward ends of said beads when positioned in the holes coming substantially flush with the front face-of said flanges, and an upper and lower strip, fastened to the front face of said flanges, coming over the front ends of said beads for retaining them in said holes.

4. A mail-box comprising a box body open at the front, a plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into a plurality ot' compartments, the front of each wall having a projection extending beyond at least one edge vin a direction substantially parallel to the bacl; ot the box into engagement with the box, a plurality of doors for closing the front oit said compartments, pivotal means, extending across the frontof the. box substantially at its mid-portion, upon which said doors are mounted, and a brace, mounted upon said pivotal means, having a part bracing a partition wall.

5. A mail-box comprising a box body open at the front, a plurality of partition walls for dividinol said box into a luralit' of compartments, the front portions of some of said walls having projections extending beyond the upper and lower edges of said walls into engagement with 'front portion of the top and bottom of said box, a master door -ior closing the upper portions ot said compartments, tenant doors, one for each compartment for closing the lower portions of said compartments, pivotal means, ex-` tending across the front of the box substantially at its mid-portion, upon which said doors are mounted, and a lock for the master door 'for engaging with the top of the box for locking the master door in closed position, one of said partition walls coming in line with said lock, said latter wall having its upper front portion cut away at the lock, and a brace mounted upon said' pivotal means having a part `bracing said lat-ter Wall.

6. A mail-box comprising a box body open at the front, a-plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into ka plurality of compartments, a plurality of doors for closing the front of said compartments, piv` otal means, extending across the front of the box substantially at its mid-portion, upon which said doors are mounted, and a brace comprising a sleeve and a fin portion extending rom the sleeve, saidsleeve being mounted upon said pivotal means while said iin is fastenedto the front of a partition wall. n

7. A mail-box having a plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into a plurality of compartments, a pair of pivot rods, one above the other, extending across the front of the box substantially at its midportion, a master door mounted at its lower end upon the upper rod, adapted to close the uwer oortions oit said com )artments tenant doors movable independently of each other, one for each compartment, mounted at their upper ends upon the lower rod, and a brace comprising a sleeve mounted upon an intermediate part of the lower rod, said sleeve having an extension' fastened substantially to the front of'one of the partition walls.

8. A mail-box comprisinga box-body open at the front, a plurality of partition walls for dividing said box into a plurality of compartments, the front of said partition walls being provided with a hollow bead, a plurality of doorsfor closing the iti-ont of said compartments, pivotal means, extending across the front of the box substantially at its mid-portion, upon which said doors are mounted, and a brace comprising a sleeve and a tin portion extending it'rom said sleeve, said sleeve being mounted upon said pivotal means while said iin extends into a slot provided through the 'front ot a pai.'- tition wall, and a rod, located in. said bead, passing across said slotvand through a hole provided in said iin;

Signed at New York city in the county of Bronx and State of New York this 1st day of June A. D. 1927. Y

ALBERT EDGAR BLACKli/IAN. 

